Birdland: Aerial Acrobatics

Barn Swallows feed on the wing, meaning they can capture insects in midair. In the summertime humans can spot them while waiting at stoplights, as the birds gracefully dart and weave and dive overhead snagging miller moths and other delectable snacks. Barn Swallows are striking- looking birds, with glistening cobalt blue backs, cinnamon-colored faces and deeply forked tails. They build their gourd-shaped nests out of mud, mixed with grass, hair or feathers in the eaves of sheds and barns, and under bridges. This Barn Swallow was photographed by Park Hill resident Mark Silverstein.